Botanical Scribe

“The Raphael of Flowers” is what they called Pierre-Joseph Redouté a couple hundred years ago. The Belgian native became famous in France, where he painted floral watercolors for both Marie Antoinnette and Empress Josephine. But what cemented his legacy was his perfection of a stipple engraving technique that brought his botanical art to the masses. Botanical Scribe is modeled after the neat, cursive hand-inscribed legends on these antique prints. Because it simulates handlettering, the font retains a warm, organic quality not seen in fancy modern scripts while remaining both elegant and legible. (Its many ligatures lends to this authenticity.) Good for formal invitations or historical simulations. OpenType features include scores of ligatures, stylistic and contextual alternates, lining and old-style figures, floral ornaments, and complete Central/Eastern European alphabets.—Brian Willson, designer. Botanical Srcibe, US$39 at the 3IP Type Foundry.